Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Regional Development Victoria's annual report highlighting its role in new investment, business growth and job creation, infrastructure development, instigating policy and planning initiatives, and co-ordinating the delivery of government programs, services and resources in rural and regional Victoria. Report Locationhttp://www.rdv.vic.gov.au/_ ....

Australia’s regions are vital to the national economy, cultural identity and environmental amenity. They produce the bulk of our exports and are home to roughly a third of our population. Importantly, the economies of our regions and cities are co-dependent and linked through economic, cultural and social ties. Therefore, the performance of a s ....

The wellbeing of people living in rural and regional areas of Australia is influenced by numerous factors, many of which are different to those experienced by people living in cities. Things like drought, floods, changing environmental health, new industries, changing land uses and migration of residents can all affect the wellbeing of rural and ....

The design of regulations to mitigate environmental externalities poses numerous challenges, including risk and uncertainty, information asymmetries, and complex and heterogeneous ecosystems. This research addresses a subset of these challenges within three distinct contexts: (1) agricultural production, (2) urban sprawl, and (3) exhaus ....

This report card summarises our current knowledge of the status and trend in the natural resource base in the agricultural areas of south-west of Western Australia and provides a discussion of the implications for agricultural industries. The condition of our natural resources is a complex interaction of numerous processes. In simple terms howev ....

This report updates changes in the Western Australian pastoral rangelands at the Land Conservation District (LCD) scale, providing information on seasonal quality, stock numbers and changes in the density/frequency of perennial shrubs and grasses. It is based on data from the Bureau of Meteorology, the Annual return of livestock and improvements ....

In May 2005, the Commonwealth announced changes to the eligibility criteria for a number of farm welfare payments which have resulted in farmers receiving such payments on more generous terms than other disadvantaged groups in the community. The changes passed largely unremarked by the media or political commentators. Farm welfare programs are de ....

As remnant vegetation covers <15% of the Australian sheep-wheat belt, it is important to identify conservation strategies suitable for use in agricultural landscapes. Tree lines are widespread ecological structures in rural areas, and are now the subject of government subsidy schemes in New South Wales. However, the contribution of tree lines ....

Northern Australia remains the topic of fierce debate and renewed policy interest. While discussion often centres on the prospects for particular industries or projects, it is essential that the national debate and resulting policy frameworks take into account the diversity of situation and opportunity in the north. To identify the imperatives f ....

This report examines the socio-economic impacts of changing farm business structures in five case study communities. It highlights the positive and negative impacts of changing farm business structures, and makes a number of recommendations about how to maximise the benefits and minimise the potential problems. One of the key conclusions of the r ....

This report deals with priorities for research into rural communities and rural social issues. The report is based on an extensive literature review, together with information derived from a survey of policy-making agencies and researchers, as well as discussion at a national workshop held in Canberra on 19 May 1999. Issues reviewe ....

Monitors outlook and general sentiment in the major agricultural industries throughout the country. Report Locationhttp://www.rabobank.com.au/Research/Pages/Rural-Confidence-Survey.aspx ....

The failure of a national rural policy is a complex phenomenon. Suffice to say that such policy never emerged, despite frequent appearances on the presidential agenda. Browne examines the reasons why no sustained rural lobby was ever created independent of farm interests. The circular explanation finds that lobbies fail to develop in th ....

A national forum, convened by the Department of Primary Industries Victoria, was held at Rutherglen on 20-21 July 2005. The purpose of the forum was to capture new knowledge and explore engagement strategies and capacity-building opportunities for the small lifestyle farm sector. The papers from the forum included here are: Engagin ....